


Lee Jeno has a Crush

by dreamiesficfest, dreamsol



Series: Dear Dream - Dreamies Fic Fest (Second Wave) [14]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Unvierse - High School, Kissing, Love Confession, M/M, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 09:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiesficfest/pseuds/dreamiesficfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsol/pseuds/dreamsol
Summary: Prompt Number: #DD109Lee Jeno has a crush.Everybody knows that.





	Lee Jeno has a Crush

**Author's Note:**

> Notes from the Author:  
> hi! this is my first time participating in a fic fest, and i’m so glad i got to support this dream fest! big thanks to admins for being patient with my dumbass occasionally.  
> i personally really like how this turned out, and i hope you will, too. enjoy

Lee Jeno has a crush.

Everybody knows that.

But Jaemin only learns about it from Jisung when the boy barges into his classroom yet again for Jaemin’s home cooked lunchbox. They both already ate their share at cafeteria, but there’s never enough food for the younger boy. He drops down on the vacant seat in front of Jaemin – the girl actually occupying it learned long time ago to go somewhere else once lunchtime strikes – and grins:

“Jaemin-ah, I’m hungry.”

Jisung clasps a CD player in his hands, the one with a thick, 2 meters-long cable connected to the enormous headphones weighing down his neck, music blasting through. It’s an old one, but that’s much is obvious, and of silver color, – or what’s left of its silver color now, – with ugly scratches and full of stickers and scrawls in Chenle’s handwriting. Jaemin wordlessly nods at the Ryan food container: _go ahead_.

There’s a pattern with Jisung that Jaemin knows too well by now. He will complain about how Chenle still refuses to listen to songs he recommended, “unlike my favorite hyung. Love you, Jaemin-ah!” and how it hurts his feelings, so it seems like the only two topics Jisung is able to talk about are music and himself. Which, for the most part, is not true.

Today Jisung also talks about scribbling something on the whiteboard during recess knowing Jeno would visit his classroom to have a chat with some of the guys from basketball team.

“I drew a big heart, wrote ‘LOVE CONFESSION TIPS FOR LEE JENO’ in big letters and suggested to write advices down. And by the time Jeno came by, _everyone in my class did_ , and the board didn’t have any room left, it was so full.” There’s pure glee dancing in Jisung’s eyes, adding to the smugness of his voice. “Worth being chased around the school for good 10 minutes right after.”

The pencil in Jaemin’s hand stops moving, hovering uselessly over his English notes.

What?

“He has a crush. Jeno, I mean,” Jisung gives him this strange look Jaemin can’t quite decipher. “People love teasing him for not making a move, so it’s a running joke at this point. You really didn’t know?”

That Lee Jeno had a crush? Jaemin shakes his head slowly. He didn’t know.

Jisung shrugs like it’s not a big deal and Jaemin supposes, it really isn’t. Shouldn’t be. “Well, now you do. He’s been crushing for forever. Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings.”

Jaemin waits for Jisung to say more, but the boy doesn’t, and won’t spare him a glance either, focusing all his attention on food. The rest of the visit consists of him munching on his share of rice, and then the boy cheerfully bids Jaemin goodbye.

_Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings._

Jaemin looks around the classroom. It’s almost empty: lunch break is quite long, and the boys tend to go outside, play basketball or soccer, sick of being trapped in four walls for hours. Most girls who already returned from the cafeteria are fixing their make-up. Some of them wave at Jaemin shyly upon noticing him looking and albeit delayed, but Jaemin waves in response with a smile, too.

There’s really nothing new to notice. Their whiteboard has nothing on it, either. Jaemin wonders how it would look like with scribbles all over it in different handwritings and a giant heart in the middle, suggesting how to open your heart to someone…

Without realizing it, Jaemin absently writes something down on his notes and blinks in puzzlement at what it says when he’s finished.

_Lee Jeno has a crush_

He looks over the words for a quiet moment before reaching out for his eraser and carefully skimming over the words in long, smooth stripes.

It’s coming off easily: there was almost no applied pressure in the way Jaemin scribbled it down. The paper is perfectly clean now, with no trace left that only a few seconds ago there was something not suitable for English notebook.

He trails with his index finger over what once was there, and gently blows the eraser dust off the desk.

When done, Jaemin leans back and looks over the window, down at the football court.

A group of his classmates is fooling around with a ball on the field, shooting passes and doing tricks to show off, laughing and teasing each other. Jaemin’s eyes catch one of the boys just when he intercepts the ball from his friend and shoots a goal all over the field in one powerful kick.

It’s an empty net with no one guarding it. But the boy acts like it was the winning point at the final game of World Cup, no less. He drops down dramatically to his knees, hands reaching out to the sky. Faking cries of happiness with face as ugly as he could master, he waits for other boys who scream and yell, running up to him. Soon, it’s a pile of boys with the boy underneath it all.

The corner of Jaemin’s lips tilts upwards slightly.

 

During world literature class, teacher asks Jaemin a simple question.

“What message was written in the note Sinclare got from Demian in chapter five?” but Jaemin doesn’t utter a word. “It’s a famous quote. I’m sure you know it, Jaemin, I’ve read your essay. So answer me.”

Teacher Kim sounds tired and a little irritated at Jaemin’s prolonged silence, but stubbornly folds his arms, waiting for response that doesn’t come. He’s new here, enrolled at the start of this year. Their previous literature teacher never called for Jaemin to answer in class.

Everyone is staring at Jaemin now; he can feel their eyes burning through him, curious and anticipating, and that seals his lips even further.

“Teacher,” calls out someone, and Jaemin knows that voice. It’s loud and clear, cutting through the heavy silence like a knife. “May I?”

Jaemin looks up from his textbook for the first time since the class started, to see -

“Jeno,” teacher Kim shakes his head, as if he’s disappointed but not at all surprised by his meddling. “I’m asking Jaemin, not you.”

“It’s not that, teacher. I sure don’t know the answer.” Jaemin hears one or two people chuckling. “But Jaemin does. So can you please let him write it down?”

And just like that, Jaemin feels like he can breathe again.

“… _‘The egg is the world_ ,” teacher Kim reads out loud the quote Jaemin finished writing. “ _Who would be born must first destroy the world. The bird flies to God. The God’s name is Abraxas’_ …” The teacher trails off there. When he speaks again, the tone of his voice is considerably softer: “You can return to your seat, Jaemin. Now,” teacher Kim turns to face the rest of the class. “What did Demian mean by that?..”

Heading back with his heart still hammering in his chest, Jaemin sneaks a glance at the middle row. What he sees there makes his face slowly break into a smile.

Lee Jeno is showing big thumbs up from his seat in the middle row, grinning back at Jaemin from ear to ear. His grin gets even more radiant, when Jaemin mouths _thank you_.

Twenty minutes later when the class ends Jaemin is hyper aware of every set of eyes watching him approaching Jeno’s seat. _One two three_ , he counts in his head.

“Jeno.”

“Hey, Jaemin.”

Jaemin opens his mouth but no words come out. He shuts it.

His inner battle must be evident on his face, because Jeno laughs: “Hey, it’s okay. You already said ‘thank you’, didn’t you? I saw it.” Of course Jeno would know that’s what Jaemin was trying to get out of himself. “And besides, we’re friends, we don’t need these formalities. Right?”

The question sounds casual and at the same time not. There’s uncertainty in the way Jeno’s eyes wander on Jaemin’s face, the way his Adam’s apple wobbles nervously, despite the warm smile.

Jaemin questions a lot of things, when Jeno looks at him like that: like Jaemin is something special, and Jeno doesn’t want to scare him away. It’s puzzling.

So Jaemin nods; he wants that uncertainty gone.

It does the trick. Jeno positively beams and even straightens his posture. He looks so much like a puppy that finally got his treat, and at the thought that _he_ did that, Jaemin feels the blood rush to his cheeks.

“You know, it’s good to just hear you say my name once in a while,” Jeno chuckles.

Jaemin considers it for a moment.

“Jeno,” he says.

Carefully. As if tasting the name on his tongue. He tries to remember if he ever said it before, but comes out completely blank. Yet saying it out loud is easy, even brings comfort, just like Chenle and Jisung’s names do.

Jeno’s eyes widen slightly.

“…Yeah,” he says after a long beat, not taking his eyes from Jaemin’s face. “It’s nice, hearing it from you.”

 

Jeno’s voice is always so warm. It sounds like he’s smiling even when he isn’t.

Upon hearing that, Jisung makes a face as if he put entire lemon into his mouth, just like he did back in his second grade. “That’s only with- Jesus.” The boy shakes his head in defeat. “You know what? Continue your observations, Jaemin-ah.”

Jisung got a _B-_ in the latest math test, and as much as Jaemin feels relieved, he wants to know if Jisung got abducted at some point and somehow Jaemin didn’t notice.

“I mean, you really wouldn’t have noticed a thing, and that’s a sad truth,” Jisung snorts, before finally revealing: “Jeno tutors me. So, no thanks to aliens.”

Renjun will be heartbroken to know.

“I know right,” nods Jisung with a small sigh, as if he’s equally as disappointed.

Jisung also blew all his pocket money on new shoes and can’t possibly pay for a tutor without his mom finding out he needs one, but the boy shrugs like it’s not a big deal. “No money involved. Jeno is doing it out of a goodness of his heart. And who I am to say no?”

Jaemin nods, because there’s no need to ask anything else: Jeno’s kindness is one of those things Jaemin will never question. The Earth is not flat, Chenle can never be quiet.

And Lee Jeno, Jaemin writes down carefully once the school bell rings, _Lee Jeno is kind_.

 

“New notebook?” Chenle gasps when they visit a bookstore and he spots something in Jaemin’s hands.

Jaemin smiles at his excitement. Even a little thing can make Chenle giddy or agitated. “Yeah.”

It’s not exactly a notebook, though. More like a sketchbook, small and kind of plain looking, but in this soft coffee-with-milk palette that set it apart from all others for Jaemin.

“You ran out already?” Chenle exclaims, head tilted, ever curious. “The school year barely even started!”

Jaemin thinks of all his subject notebooks with scribbles in them that get harder and harder to remove each time.

He just shrugs in response.

Chenle makes a displeased noise in the back of his throat, making the smile playing on Jaemin’s face get a little wider. “Consider getting yourself a _Moleskine_ one, at least? They’re the best!”

Jaemin laughs quietly, hugging his cheap sketchbook tightly to his chest. Like this, Jaemin can feel his heart beating more clearly, and vaguely wonders if it really beats faster than usual, or it’s just his imagination.

Jisung returns from the CD corner where he disappeared to earlier, mumbling something about new _Hozier_ and _Foals_ albums. He eyes what in Jaemin’s hands is, and there’s a question in the way his eyebrows lift up, but he doesn’t voice it; just turns to Chenle clasping a handful of CDs with his usual ‘Buy it for me, I’ll pay back next week I promise’ sweet talk. He gets an earful from the other boy, and a playful punch on his forearm.

Jaemin’s check from the bookstore that day consists of a payment for five CDs and a sketchbook.

“He wouldn’t raise his head from that fancy sketchbook now,” Chenle whines to Jisung days later when the three of them enjoy the sunshine on a bench at the school’s grassy field. “What is he even writing there?! He never shows us.”

Jaemin doesn’t say anything or react in any way, waiting silently for Jisung’s response. Indeed, there’s a sketchbook on his knees that he’s carefully turning the pages of. Chenle and Jisung, these two often talk to each other like he’s not present at all, especially when Jaemin himself is the topic of the conversation. Jaemin knows it’s meant to poke at him a little.

Jisung waves his hand dismissively, careful not to swat at the wired in-ear headphones he shares with Chenle. “Jaemin was always better with words put on paper than those being spoken.”

“Aww,” Chenle sighs then, and it sounds mocking to Jaemin’s ears, so of course that’s how it is: “I love Jaemin! Too bad he’ll never know unless I write it down.”

Jisung cackles at that, head thrown back. The sunlight dances in his hair, warms his features, makes his eyes gleam when Jisung grins right into Jaemin’s face. “I love him, too! It’s tragic how ignorant he is of other people’s feelings…”

Jisung barely manages to finish his sentence by the time Jaemin puts his sketchbook away and jumps on the two little brats, determined to tickle-fight them back into a good behavior again, not yielding even when shouts asking for mercy are flying up high into the air.

 

Donghyuck is the student council president, Renjun is the vice-president and technically, there are more members but none of them actually show up in the student council room to do their work, aside from Jaemin…

“Hey! Sorry I’m late.”

And Jeno.

No matter how many times Jaemin assures him it’s okay, that he understands it’s a basketball season soon, Jeno stubbornly apologizes every single time he’s storming into the room with hair still a little wet and disheveled after a quick post practice shower.

Jeno’s smile is sheepish but bright, eyes crinkling when he finds Jaemin glancing up at him from his desk the moment he flies in through the door. Jaemin can’t help but smile himself, mouthing _hey_ in response.

It’s endearing, Jaemin thinks, how Jeno seems to genuinely regret not being able to spend more time checking boring papers in this quiet room alone with probably the quietest student in the school. As if it’s time worth treasuring, and not a chore his best friends Donghyuck and Renjun tasked him with.

Glancing down at the papers lying neatly at Jaemin’s side, Jeno grunts: “Do I want to know what Jisung’s class wants to do for the end of the school year’s festival this time?..”

That’s what student council is doing mostly nowadays: prepare for school events. And even if the end of the year festival is good four months away, they don’t really have that much time, considering students have to study for final exams, too.

Jaemin firmly shakes his head at Jeno’s question and allows himself a little giggle when the boy closes his eyes so very slowly, as if contemplating on his decision to be associated with someone like Park Jisung.

“So,” Jeno sighs, pulling up a chair to sit at the desk opposite of Jaemin’s, “Let’s see what each class gonna do this year...”

Jaemin is not surprised when two hours in Jeno calls for him and throws him a chocolate&banana flavored milk. Jaemin catches it with both hands and a grateful smile. Jeno grins and pokes a hole into his own drink.

While doing the same, Jaemin is struck with a late realization that this is a ritual at this point, that started as a little apology for being late. Now it’s their own little thing, for the two of them: a break from meticulous paperwork with a banana&chocolate milk, and it’s like the rest of the world stops for a little while.

Jaemin takes the straw to his lips, looking down at his sketchbook lying at his side and then back at Jeno again.

Jeno is looking out of the window, down at the pitch. His hair is a little messy now that it’s dry, and he’s teething at the straw absently, already done with his drink.

Jaemin thinks how Jeno always finishes it in two-three sips. Some days Jeno would take a loud slurp on purpose, eyes bulged out and cheeks hollowed, gulping the milk down in one go. He looks immensely proud after, for making Jaemin laugh behind the palm of his hand at his silliness.

Jaemin wonders what Jeno is thinking now, leaning his forehead against the glass.

He wonders how Jeno manages time between studying, basketball training, tutoring Jisung, socializing, sleeping and helping Jaemin with student council workload.

He wonders if Jeno ate anything before coming to student council room, or did he ran here right after practice.

He wonders who Jeno’s crush might be.

“Thanks for your hard work, lovelies!” Donghyuck chirps, bursting through the doors an hour later with Renjun quick on his heels.

“I’m voting for Jaemin next year,” Jeno informs him, deadpanned. “You’re a terrible president, dumping all your work on others to go suck face with your boyfriend.”

Everyone currently in the room knows Jaemin isn’t going to suggest himself for election next year, but Donghyuck still gasps at the betrayal:

“I do it for your sake, you ungrateful ass!” Jaemin can’t see how making out with Renjun and not doing his job can help Jeno in any way, but decides it’s not his place to ask. Renjun backs up Jeno by saying he’ll vote for Jaemin, too.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Fine, fine, my bad. Come get your kiss, you deserved it!”

He puckers his lips up at Jeno, and the other watches calmly how Renjun effortlessly keeps Donghyuck in place by grabbing at the back of his boyfriend’s collar. The boy flaps his hands uselessly in Jeno’s direction, but gives up surprisingly fast. Renjun’s hold on him doesn’t weaken when Donghyuck turns his head to Jaemin next as if suddenly realizing he’s in the room, too:

“Sorry, Jaemin, but no kisses for you.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t mind,” Jeno grits out before Jaemin has a chance to respond, glaring at his best friend.

Donghyuck smirks, eyes narrowing. “Oh wouldn’t _you_ know… But I’m not a fan of crusty-ass lips!” he continues cheerfully without skipping a beat, turning to Jaemin again. “Jaemin, I suggest you buy a lip balm if you want a kiss-”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jaemin nods.

“Oh,” Donghyuck blinks, “Um, cool then... You heard that, Jeno? Jaemin said _he will keep that in mind_.”

“ _Shut up_.”

Listening to them bickering while packing his bag, Jaemin smiles to himself.

It was a good decision after all, becoming a part of the student council.

“Jaemin.” He looks up to see Jeno with his hands in his pockets. Despite the huge grin plastered on his face, Jeno’s voice is soft, and he’s worrying at his lower lip when he suggests: “Let’s go home together?..”

They do, every time after student council work, even if their walk home is short as they part ways on the very first fork. And at this point Jeno really doesn’t have to ask anymore, because Jaemin won’t ever change his answer.

He’s glad Jeno doesn’t always have to be the only one to make a smile to appear, between them. It’s good to know it works the other way around, too. That Jaemin also can become one of the reasons for Jeno to smile, like when he hears Jaemin answer _yes_.

 

After school on Friday, Jaemin is on class duty, but the moment he gets ready to close the doors and start cleaning, the door is yanked to the side suddenly, and he’s face to face with wide-eyed Jeno.

“Jaemin! Oh crap, did I scare you?..”

Jaemin thinks Jeno is the one who got scared, wants to say just that, but his heart is beating fast, like Jaemin just ran around the entire school building. He marvels at the sound of it going _tha-thump tha-thump_ in his ears, staring Jeno in the face, so close to his own.

Then a head is peeking out behind Jeno’s shoulder, and they both jump a little at the yelling:

“Yo, hyung! You won’t mind us studying for math test here, will you?” Park Jisung grins, and promptly bites on the lollipop in his mouth with a loud crunch, probably breaking the candy in pieces. “Library is _packed_. And they won’t let me eat there,” he slurs, taking out the now empty lollipop stick, and then waves with it as if making a point.

Jeno shoots Jaemin an apologetic glance. “I didn’t know it was _your_ turn to clean the class…” He turns to Jisung, brows furrowed accusingly. Strange, but the boy just shows Jeno a victory sign in return, smug.

Puzzled, Jaemin wordlessly steps aside to let them in.

“We’ll help you after we’re done,” Jeno assures him, coming inside. He still sounds guilty. “It won’t take more than thirty minutes, promise.”

“Here,” Jisung puts his enormous headphones on Jaemin’s head while Jeno in the back prepares textbooks and flash cards. The headphones feel like weighing a tonne. “Completely soundproof! So you won’t listen to us muttering in mathematics.” He connects them to Jaemin’s phone and huffs at Jaemin’s silently raised eyebrows. “Yeah, OK, you’re right. It’s just so I won’t have the temptation to hide from Jeno’s constant nagging, so help me be the model student here.”

Jaemin reaches out to flick the boy in the forehead once, but doesn’t take the headphones off. He glances at Jeno, only to see him already watching their exchange with a little smile. It’s still there, that smile, when for a brief moment they eyes meet. It feels like eternity passes before Jeno averts his eyes and calls for Jisung to ‘hurry up already’.

In Jisung’s enormous headphones _AKMU_ tell Jaemin about this newly discovered feeling inside, accompanied by a funky beat, but it’s not enough to muffle everything else: words like _crush_ and _after the game_ and _confession_. Jaemin raises the volume on his phone, and Jeno and Jisung’s voices are drowned out completely, this time by _Nouvelle Vague_ singing how love doesn’t need words for feelings to reach the other person.

They get ice cream cones on their way home, and Jaemin notices belatedly that there’s a mole under Jeno’s right eye. He knew about it before. But now he noticed, and somehow, there’s a difference.

_Tha-thump tha-thump_ , Jaemin writes carefully in his sketchbook once he’s home.

 

It’s the day of the game against one of the rival schools.

“You never go to watch a basketball game, though!” Chenle exclaims.

“Aren’t you happy I’m tagging along?”

Chenle is positively overjoyed, in fact.

They’re up by three points against the guest team with two minutes left on the clock.

Chenle says Jeno is getting ready for a foul shot.

“He has three chances,” the boy declares in authoritative voice, and Jaemin nods attentively, trying to look as serious as possible to not ruin the fun for him. “If he’ll score a point, this can turn the flow of the entire game!..”

“C’mon, Jeno! Your crush is watching!” one of his teammates hollers.

“Just imagine that ball is an arrow and the net is their heart!” comes from Donghyuck next. Everyone’s eyes turn to the student council president on the stands, who shows a perfect archer position, ready to fire an imaginary arrow. “Shoot, baby!”

Jeno merely laughs, shaking his head in amusement, eyes stubbornly on the ball bouncing near his feet. He appears to be too embarrassed to raise his head and show his face to the crowd. Or maybe, Jeno knows his eyes will immediately search for _that one_ person on the stands.

Either way, he doesn’t look as tired as he seemed to just three minutes ago. Now he’s positively glowing from the inside, absolutely radiant, at the reminder that his crush is here. Watching Jeno play.

At the side of his vision, Jaemin notices that Donghyuck doesn’t let go of his imaginary arrow. He launches it at Renjun instead, who pretends to catch and then break it with a snap of his fingers, dark satisfaction distorting his delicate features. Donghyuck looks completely mesmerized watching him, like he’s the one with cupid’s arrow stuck in his chest.

Meanwhile Jeno makes a clean throw, and one point is given to their team. Now they’re only two points behind and the crowd starts cheering loudly, desperately.

Suddenly, Jaemin feels like he needs to know. He turns to Chenle. “Do you know who Jeno’s crush is?..”

The look Chenle gives him is answer enough.

So Jaemin opens his sketchbook, watching his own hand scribble the words. But he’s not alone in his room, and forgets for a moment just how curious Chenle is, until he’s reminded again.

“You write something? What is it, what is it!” Jaemin slams the sketchbook shut, but a second too late.

Chenle’s jaw drops.

“That-”

“Sh-h-h…” Jaemin leans closer to put a finger to the boy’s lips. “Nobody knows.”

That piques Chenle’s attention. “Nobody?” he asks in conspiring whisper, not trying to bite on Jaemin’s finger like Jisung definitely would in his place.

“Nobody,” he whispers back, and smiles, moving finger away from Chenle’s to his own lips next. “Think you can keep it a secret?..”

Chenle nods eagerly, eyes sparkling.

“Jisung can’t know, too.”

“Even Jisung?” the excited look on his face turns into confused one. The boy sounds lost and helpless when he says: “But I tell everything to Jisung…”

Jaemin giggles at the distress evident on his face. “He’ll know soon enough,” he assures the younger.

When Yangyang shoots a three point with four seconds remaining on the clocks, Jaemin stands up and claps with everyone else.

For the first time, taking a deep breath, Jeno looks up at the stands, and their eyes meet.

Jaemin holds up big thumbs up, and Jeno’s exhausted smile in response is possibly the most beautiful Jaemin has ever seen on him.

 

Jaemin likes those sport match days: basketball game days, baseball game days. The school looks almost abandoned during them and after, too, as most students would halt their club activities to go cheer for their school and then celebrate their victory or mourn defeat by going to karaoke or family restaurants.

But Jaemin usually opts to stay in the classroom doing homework or making pamphlets and writing school announcements in the student council room during those days.

And this is where Jeno would find him after every single basketball game match.

He would sit beside Jaemin and talk animatedly about all the things he knows he could do, all the tricks he could have used but didn’t, all the strategies that he came up with that could have worked so much better. He would ask how Jaemin’s day went and if he’s eaten yet, if there’s some work Jaemin needs his help with.

Jaemin never saw Jeno play until today.

Coming down the stands he wonders if he should go to the student council room and wait for Jeno to appear like always at the door, hair sticking out in all directions after hasty shower.

Jisung finds him in his classroom ten minutes later, while Jaemin is scrawling the words _crush_ and _after the game_ and _confession_ slowly on his sketchbook. With every letter he writes some kind of restless feeling is rising inside of him in crushing waves, one bigger than another. Jaemin was supposed to just come here, get his bag and head out, but here he is.

“So. You’ve got a secret,” Jisung grumbles, flopping down on the seat in front of him like he always does and promptly opening a bag of chips swiftly in one move. “Chenle was very proud announcing you share one now.” He takes a handful – a very big one, - and muses with mouth full: “Secrets, huh. Never would have thought you’d have one. I mean, with you being so open and talkative and all. Total shocker.”

Jaemin flicks away all the chips crumbs from his desk and bites down on his bottom lip, grinning sheepishly at the younger.

The sketchbook stays wide open the entire time; he knows Jisung won’t take a peek.

“I think I saw Jeno heading towards the student council room some time ago, by the way,” Jisung casually brings up, licking salt still lingering at the corners of his lips. “Dumped his teammates once again, and for what? To write another stupid ‘letter of notice’ rejecting once again my class’ super dope idea of making a chick farm this year, for the hundredth freaking time? Well screw you, Jeno, because we will anyway! Free the chicks!..”

The screeching sound of the chair getting dragged aside as Jaemin jumps up from his seat would be impossibly loud if his ears weren’t already ringing. He takes Jisung’s face in his hands, leaves a kiss on both of his cheeks, grabs his bag and sketchbook and runs out of the classroom.

As Jaemin runs down the empty corridors, making all the necessary turns and leaping up the stairs, a fleeting thought occurs to him: it seems like Jisung doesn’t even need to peek at his sketchbook now.

 

Jaemin opens the door to the student council room in one swift, bold move, secretly he always wanted to try it: being the loud one, just this once.

Inside the room, Jeno startles and drops the chalk he was writing something on the whiteboard with. “Holy!.. Jaemin? Why- Oh my god, please don’t look.” There’s actual dread in his voice.

Chest heaving, Jaemin looks up at the whiteboard and freezes.

“This is embarrassing. There’s still a lot more to do,” Jeno rambles on, and it’s so rare to see him flustered and not being able to find words that it’s just as fascinating to Jaemin as what he reads from the whiteboard, “Please, _please_ don’t look yet? I didn’t know it’d take me this long, but there’s a lot to write and - could you maybe come out and enter again in, say, fifteen minutes when I’m actually done, and we’ll pretend it’s all for the first time?..”

“Jeno,” a whisper.

Jeno swallows audibly and with a small sigh of defeat, he steps away from the whiteboard.

There are doodled hearts all around the board, big hearts and little hearts, but all so prettily shaped. Some are coloured in pink and white chalk, but some are filled with messages instead that starts with one name.

His name.

_“Jaemin, what if we always come home together and not just when we’re the only ones left in the entire school building?_

_From: Jeno”_

_“Jaemin, it might sound silly, but I feel very happy every time you call my name._

_From: Jeno”_

_“Jaemin, I like the way the corners of your lips lift up slowly when you smile. It’s like a flower blooming. Beautiful._

_From: Jeno”_

_“Jaemin, the way you convey so much through your eyes, I wish I could do it, too._

_From: Jeno”_

_“Jaemin, you watched me play today. You watched me play today!!_

_From: Jeno”_

_“Jaemin, I need to tell you the secret everybody knows._

_From: Jeno”_

Jaemin exhales the air he didn’t realize he was holding in this entire time, and it comes out in shaky breath. He can feel Jeno’s eyes on himself, and turns to look at him, too. Just like always, Jeno doesn’t take his eyes away, just merely smiles. But maybe it’s more nervous this time.

“Jeno,” Jaemin takes a step to him.

Jeno shakes his head and suddenly drops down on one of the chairs scattered around when he bumps into it, like his knees can no longer hold him up. “No, stop it. Don’t say my name like that. I-”

“Jeno.”

“You’re doing it on purpose!” he laughs in disbelief.

“Jeno...”

Jeno lets out a muffled groan into his hands, trying to cover the blush on his face. “Seriously?..”

Jaemin gently takes Jeno’s hands away from his face and runs his finger lightly over the mole under the corner of his right eye.

“I,” Jeno rasps, licking at his lips nervously, “I can’t figure out what’s on your mind, Jaemin…”

But that’s the easiest thing to figure out about him.

“You,” Jaemin whispers, and leans in.

He feels Jeno’s hands reaching for his waist as if on instinct, ghosting over his dress shirt but not quite touching when they lips touch softly, tentatively at first, and then slowly escalating. Jaemin clutches onto his shoulders, eyes fluttering shut as Jeno presses soft lingering kisses to his lips, his hot breath scaling and sending shivers down his spine.

It’s Jaemin who gently pushes forward next: he wants the uncertainty gone. He always have. The kiss is still lingering, but now there’s more to it, there’s depth to it, and he feels Jeno’s hands tighten their hold on his waist, so Jaemin is less unsteady now. But soon enough he feels like his knees are going to collapse again.

Jeno drawls back a little. “Are you actually trying to climb on my lap-”

“Yes.”

And it’s so much easier to brush away the dark strand from Jeno’s forehead to take a better look at his face and feel his chest going up and down. He wonders if that means Jeno’s heart is beating just as fast as his own.

Jeno brushes their noses together lightly before taking Jaemin’s face into his hands to capture his lips with his own once more. And it’s different yet again.

It’s like walls are crumbling this time, it’s fierce and honest, and it’s another kind of perfect. He makes small gasping sounds every time Jeno pulls away a little only to lean back again, and Jeno giggles, trying to capture every one of them.

 

On their way home - Jaemin’s home, - he gently tugs at Jeno to enter the convenience store they almost pass by when Jaemin suddenly freezes in front of it.

“Wanna buy some snacks?” Jeno asks curiously.

Jaemin shakes his head. He hands the cashier the strawberry lip balm to run through register, with Jeno peeking behind his back.

Jaemin holds Jeno’s gaze in the store mirror’s reflection as he slowly applies the lip balm, spreading it lightly across his lower lip first and then his top lip. He can almost hear the sound of gears shifting in Jeno’s head, and it’s very, very hard to hold in the bubbling laughter when the realization finally sinks in and Jeno gapes at his reflection.

Once he’s done, Jaemin turns around to see the real Jeno’s eyes being adorably wide and a pink tinge on his cheekbones.

“You’ll be the death of me,” Jeno mumbles when ability to speak returns to him, sounding both exhausted and at awe, unable to look away from the shining glint on Jaemin’s lips.

Jaemin smiles and pulls him towards the exit, their fingers intertwined.

When they reach his house, Jaemin is going to show Jeno the sketchbook full of written secrets that (almost) nobody knows.

Or maybe he will listen to Jeno talking all about secrets that everybody knows, first.


End file.
